airnimal

Richard, thank you for the kind offer which I may have taken you up on if I hadn't spent yesterday making 4 new rings. If fact I had to make about 10 in total because I made them from 10 thou black plasticard and they are very brittle once the holes are drilled in them. I was hoping to go out on the bike yesterday with my cycling chums, but my wife had a fall outside going to get some plants out of the garden shed and hurt her ankle. So it was a day of looking after her because she is will be unable to do anything for herself for a few days at least. Inbetween being head cook and bottle washer I made the replacement rings.

This is still on going because the spacings were not correct. I have used one of the rejects to try drilling the holes in the correct place which looks better. This will have to wait until tomorrow because we are having 2 of our grandsons to stay after school today.

The second attempt ar the inner disk wheel trim cut out with a pair of dividers. To smooth the inner circle I used a piece of emery paper stuck around a similar size brass tube with double sided sellotape. I will make 4 new disks but with a reduced inner diameter because this one is much to thick but it does show promise. At least it will have the correct number of bolts instead of near enough.

I have started to paint the interior with the first wash of black over a coat of Tamiya XF-78. The wash is a Citadel colour called Nulm Oil which is very thin and will need a couple of coats to build up the necessary depth of colour. I also have been looking at the wheels with there added etch rim. These are from Ragstone Model but are for a GER wagon but the bolt patterns are different for my model. I did think of turning them over and adding different number of bolts but I might make some from scratch. I have cut out a plastic disc to see if this is feasible and I may go down this route.

John, the solebar's are 100 X 250 thou and the body's are made from 60 thou. I have added the bottom of the hinges and I also noticed that I had put 2 bolts on the top of the stanchions at one end but only 1 at the other end. So I went back and consulted the drawing only to find out that there were 2 on the top at each end. So one end was modified to match the correct end. Now this is the time that I do not enjoy. Painting by brush of the bodywork. I really should master how to use an airbrush which I have had several, but never had the patience to progress to my satisfaction.

Which part are you referring to ? I thought I had finished this wagon so I gave it a wash and then a coat of grey primer ready for the top coat of brown paint. Then looking at it to check everything was still in place I have noticed that I have forgotten the hinges on the door ironwork. I will be able to add them before I paint the brown top coat of paint but I am mad at myself for not noticing earlier.

ABC mini gearbox. Not cheap but quality very rarely is. Sorry for the poor photograph.

If you think you are hard done by, what about the poor old dinosaurs like myself trying to find obscure parts for scratch building. Even if parts are produced very few traders will stock them because the market is drying up. With only the GOG annual meeting now at Stafford as a likely source of fittings we are left with mail order only. Would anyone in the right mind pay £5 p&p charge on a small component costing less than that.

I have spent the day drilling holes and applying hexagonal bolts with a dab of superglue to fix them in. I have had a few go off line which ment filling the wayward hole with rod before cleaning up and drilling again in the right place. I still have one end to do but there is only so much I can do without losing the plot.

CKPR, you are very kind, but it did make me laugh. Only a little progress because of household chores and my other half 's insistence on disposing of junk collected over many years in the event of moving house. It amazing the things we all hoard thinking it will come in useful one day. Our youngest daughter is now 34 and she left home at 19 yet we still have a wardrobe in the small bedroom with some of her clothes in. And the thought of emptying the loft fills me with horror. I have started to add the hexagonal bolts as well as making the small links in the couplings. I don't think anyone makes these Victorian 5 link chains. So I had to make my own from some spare iron wire that I had in stock.

There appears to be a problem posting. Mine appeared twice.

I have finished the metal work to my satisfaction which has got to be a first. I had to make a second brake handle after I made a small cut to bend the last part and I went to deep and it broke off. A few naughty words were muttered. There is just the matter of the detailing now with a few hours of adding hexagonal bolts. I have looked at a photograph in an Illuminated History of Southern wagons Vol 1, and there is a photograph by J.P. Richards of a similar wagon. This appears to show hexagonal bolts rather than square nuts and bolts that are common on private owner wagons.

I have finished the metal work to my satisfaction which has got to be a first. I had to make a second brake handle after I made a small cut to bend the last part and I went to deep and it broke off. A few naughty words were muttered. There is just the matter of the detailing now with a few hours of adding hexagonal bolts. I have looked at a photograph in an Illuminated History of Southern wagons Vol 1, and there is a photograph by J.P. Richards of a similar wagon. This appears to show hexagonal bolts rather than square nuts and bolts that are common on private owner wagons.

The brake block was soldered to the brake brake hanger and drilled for a couple of fixing bolts to be added later. This was soldered to a base plate for attaching to the floor enabling easy removal for painting. I searched amongst all my etch parts for a brake lever that may have been suitable without any matching so it was cut from some scrap 15 thou nickel.

The brakegear on this LSWR wagon is very basic and crude. I don't have any castings remotely like the drawing so it's back scratch building from brass. Years ago when I was working I was always on the lookout for materials that were going spare that could be used for modelling. Someone was throwing out some large brass washers in different sizes and thickness that I thought may come in useful. So out this pile of washers was one that was 60 thou thick which was marked out and cut to shape. The brake arm was cut from a piece of 60 x 80 thou brass bar and filed down using my flat filing jig. I made this jig about 40 years ago and it has proved itself many times over.

I forgot to post a couple of photographs of my Arniston wagon. First the interior which I am still not sure about and one of the underframe which I am more pleased with. I know I have posted one of the interior before but I had another go at it, not sure there is much different.

Now that the Arniston wagon is as complete as it's ever going to be I have turned back to the LSWR wagon. The brackets for the tarpaulin bar has been dunked in Carr's metal black, but I am not going to fix them permanently until after painting the body. We have not had any feedback from our estate agents about the second viewing on our house as yet. The first was very positive so unless the punter doesn't come back with a stupid low offer we may have some movement. The weather has improved dramatically this week and we have had a couple of good walks in the sunshine. Perhaps spring is on the way at last.

I am sure that cruising holidays help tourists see faraway places that they wouldn't normally get to see, but the idea of hundreds of people getting off for a few hours all in the same location just doesn't appeal. I have been in several countries of the years when cruise lines have emptied there hoards only to be over run in the bars and restaurants before the lady with the umbrellas comes and collects them. They only ever appear to take them to the famous sites and very little else. I know we are all different, but it's not for me.

I am still trying to weather this wagon with only limited success. I have toned down the underframe and made a half hearted attempt at the interior. It certainly is a grubby wagon but the inside needs more coal dust and some of the wood needs making more distressed. I need to look at how other people make bleached wood.

The late John Hodgson was a active member of the L&Y society. I think he may have been instrumental in setting up that society in the early 1950's. If you contact them they may be able to help. Mike

Johnson044, I have in the past used both methods you describe. My L&Y brake van I built last year has a pre curved piece of 60 thou plasticard glued underneath with impact adhesive with gives a push fit inside the body. This has been very successful and I will probably do the same again on one of my LNWR vans. The other method I have used in the past on several van's I have built for other people but I don't have any photographs to show you. Both methods worked equally well but I do prefer the first one for the ease of use.

I have glued the axleboxes and springs to my Arniston wagon but I haven't weathered the underframe bits just yet. I missed a couple of ironwork parts on the interior that I still have to fit before I can paint the inside. Looking at some of the wagons still to finish for one reason or another, I have 3 brake vans that need finishing off. These all need better roofs from the basic one fitted when I first built them. One has roof made from a cut down vacuum formed plastic coach part. This was covered in tissue of one ply stuck on with Limonene and dirtied with powders. Another yet to be fitted was rolled from thin Aluminium sheet. These are harder to fit but don't suffer from bowing in the middle like some of the plastic ones do.

I managed to get the shading on the second side lettering before attacking the weathering. I haven't gone as far this time and the jury is out if either side pleases me. Can I ask a question from those more knowledgeable than myself. When I have used weathering powders and then sprayed matt varnish over the top sometimes the powders disappear. Do other people have the same problem or is it something I am unaware of.

I have blocked in the lettering with my nib and ink. It will need sharpening up and the shading applying before the weathering commences. It is not as easy as it looks this sign writing malarkey. I wonder why I don't see things clearly until after I have taken the photographs ?

I have painted the V-irons on this side before starting to do the lettering on the second side. I set out the letters basic outline using my white pencil to give me a head start. The sides are slightly different because of the end door so I have had to adjust where the letters fall in relation to the corner plate. We have had some feedback from our estate agent regarding the latest house viewing and the person likes the house and has booked a second appointment for a week today. Maybe things are looking up at last.